A new phenomenon is born, Mountain Rage. Beating the previous altitude record for anger by 7,605 feet, a seething mob of Sherpas threw rocks and stuff at climbers, it seems. One of the victims was German, and the other Italian. Insiders suggest that the German wanted to give them all a haircut, and the Italian had been shagging their wives, but this is unconfirmed.

It could be, perhaps, that the German was trying to take their teeth out while they weren’t looking. And if that segue seems a trifle random, Der Spiegel reported this week that a German dentist extracted 20 teeth without the patient’s permission, and was found guilty on a charge of causing bodily harm. He got an eight-month suspended jail sentence, but wasn’t named. I bet his name was Schäuble.

It’s been that kind of day for news. Capturing most people’s imagination was the alleged discovery of a US Vietnam Vet, Sergeant John Hartley Robertson, living out his old age in Vietnam after having been shot down by the Vietcong in 1968. There was panic in the White House as Obama’s officials realised that his back pay would add up to more than the Paulson bailout, but it seems the old guy is content to stay where he is. Let’s hope we can say the same about a storm recently photographed at Saturn’s north Pole, because it’s 20 times larger than the average hurricane on Earth, and has winds four times as powerful.

Somewhere, the poor bloke in charge of the Saturnian Tourist Board is having a nightmare day, but fear not poor PR, because I can confirm that this really isn’t that big a storm at all: it may be 20 times bigger than Hurricane Hermione, but Saturn is 764 times bigger than the Earth. So the equivalent would be an Earthling fart. The logic of that doesn’t follow, but it is superior to some of today’s think tank output, so let’s not be picky. Let us instead turn swiftly to picking the winner of this Thursday’s UK County Council elections, which will without doubt be Labour. You won’t get odds from any bookie on that one, but you might on the turnout. It was 31% last year, and 35% the last comparable one before that: will it now fall below 30%, or will the UKippers get more people out there? The BNP are warning us all to “expect surprises” and so I’m crossing my fingers in the hope of getting a new shirt or perhaps some Czech & Speake after-shave.

No finger-crossing needed in the Knox household, however, as Amanda has trousered £2.45 million for her autobiography in which, unsurprisingly, she protests her innocence. She said she wished to be “reconsidered as a person” and I for one am happy to do that: I’d always thought of her before as a very lucky, ham-actor psychopath, but from here on I’m happy to think of her as a very rich, ham-actor psychopath.

I have one longstanding American friend with whom I can’t have a sensible conversation about Amanda Knox, because whereas she is convinced of the lady’s innocence, I am sure she is capable of the act for which she was first convicted, and then acquitted, and then unacquitted. It really isn’t so much to do with the evidence, or with Foxy Knoxy’s history of being somewhat chilling as a person. I just knew, from the moment that she started giving those looks to the cameras at the time, that little Amanda was capable of anything.

For all I know, she didn’t do it. But Ms Knox is not just a normal girl next door: and no matter how much she lays it on with a trowel, she never will be.

20 thoughts on “At the End of the Day”

I see where you’re coming from on this but appearances and ‘feelings’ can be deceptive let us not forget.

Without doubt the most beautiful girl I ever knew (as in ‘dated’ in the loosest sense of the word) was a Mortuary Assistant who was always close, close up to her work, if you see what I mean. Unnervingly so.

We didn’t ever get to be intimate, but if we had been I could never have turned my back and slept, ever.

She went on to marry, have children and managed to avoid eating any of them, so, see what you’re saying, but……

Until recently, I also thought of Knox as your run of the mill psychopath. So I went through the story again (twice) just to be sure. Just like the Pistorius case, there are inconsistencies, but it appears that the Italian police have blown these out of all proportion. Italian law is weird to say the least and there were some serious lapses of forensic evidence handling which led the Police to believe that there was a conspiracy.

Certain facts are indisputable, Rudy Guede was a known burglar who used a knife. He raped & killed Meredith Kercher sometime between 20:56 & 22:00 on 1 November 2007. He used a small bladed knife (possibly a flick-knife) to subdue Kercher. She was stabbed in the neck three times during the struggle, once in the hallway, as well as in her bedroom. Guede took her phones, money, credit cards & keys and ran from the apartment. He nearly collided with a couple who were walking nearby. Guede’s DNA was all over the flat, on & inside Kercher. The knife was never recovered, but a bloody outline of it was left on the duvet he used to cover Kercher after he killed her.

Knox’s behaviour afterwards was abnormal. She and her boyfriend changed their stories under duress, but the only evidence the Police could come up with was Sollecito’s DNA on the metal clasp of Kercher’s bra and Knox’s DNA on the handle of a knife at Sollecito’s flat, with Kercher’s DNA on the blade. The problem is that Sollecito’s DNA was not on any part of the bra cloth, even though it was covered in Guede’s & Kerchers and the clasp was not handled correctly according international forensic standards. Also, the blade of the knife at Sollecito’s flat was far to big to be the murder weapon. Kercher was stabbed 3 times with the largest cut 8cm long, the others far smaller. Kercher died from blood loss and suffocation. The floor of her bedroom was covered in blood, but there was DNA from Sollecito or Knox in the room. If they had taken part in the rape & murder, it would have been all over the room.

The conclusion is that Know is a socially ‘disconnected’ person. By her own father’s admission she is naive. She was infatuated with her new boyfriend. It appears that she was so shocked by the events that she preferred to blot them out completely. She displayed none of the usual sympathies you would expect from someone who just lost their friend in these circumstances. Her displays of yoga in the police station were probably her attempt to pass the time whilst she waited for her boyfriend to finish his questioning & her inability to comprehend the seriousness of her situation had much to do with her failure to understand the Italian language, customs, behaviour & law.

Other than the witness statement of drug addict who was probably seeking attention (& money) they could not be placed at the scene on the night of the murder. Guede made statements that they were there, only after he was convicted, when he needed the cooperation of the judges & he knew the police needed evidence to prosecute Knox & Sollecito. He never mentioned them during his fast-track trial. If he had, he would have implicated himself in the murder. He knew that they had plenty of DNA evidence against him, but he placed all his faith in saying it was some unknown Italian that did it. Guede was after a reduction in his sentence, so he implicated Knox & Sollecito on appeal to get it & succeeded.

Knox is a very stupid girl, but stupidity does not mean that she is guilty. The Italian police are trying to implicate Knox & Sollecito on some conspiracy because Knox gave all the wrong signals. The Italians screwed up the DNA evidence and cross-contaminated various samples. They failed to note the most important scientific point. We all live in a sea of DNA traces that we leave on everything we touch. The crime scene lacks the DNA traces that you would expect if Knox & Sollecito had been there at the time of the murder. Knox is a fool, but the Italians screwed up the case. They arrested the wrong man on Knox’s allegation, but then arrested the right man after they checked the fingerprints at the scene and the DNA left behind. Because of the Italian’s screw up, the rapist and murderer may be free in 3 years time, 9 years after brutally killing an innocent young lady. That is unforgivable.

I watched some of Barbara Walters interview this morning and it appears that Knox is now worse, because of the 4 years in prison. She still doesn’t know how to communicate properly. I’d like to see more of the interview, as I have the impression that she may say something which explains some of the anomalies that still exist. Amanda Knox is in the same situation as Louise Woodward. Convicted of a crime, but where the evidence does not suggest that she did it. Knox made $2.5 million, but her parents spent a fortune to get her freed. So I suspect that she’ll hand most of the money to her parents.

“It really isn’t so much to do with the evidence, or with Foxy Knoxy’s history of being somewhat chilling as a person. I just knew, from the moment that she started giving those looks to the cameras at the time, that little Amanda was capable of anything.”

I realise you are being provocative here, John, or at least I sincerely hope you are, but I have to call that comment for the truly bad taste that it is. It reminds me of a colleague called to jury service and unable to wriggle out of it, much to his annoyance. He was involved with a week long trial and after he was discharged everyone wanted to know what it was all about. ‘Waste of time,’ he proclaimed. ‘As soon as they walked into court it was obvious they were guilty, just from looking at them. Once they opened their mouths it was certain.’ Asked what the case had been about, the verdict and what the evidence was like he answered, ‘Benefits fraud. Guilty, obviously. Can’t remember much about the evidence, but like I said, you only had to look at them.’

peter c
Yes, I accept that criticism. You also have to go with the reality that I spent 30 years interviewing people and being trained to spot liars. After that, you never look at another person with the same eyes again. I’ve also interviewed three paedophiles who were deranged, and dozens of dysfunctional family members who were obviously space cadets.
Yup, put onto a jury I would use that training: but I would also listen to the evidence – hence my conclusion re Amanda Knox: ‘For all I know, she didn’t do it. But Ms Knox is not just a normal girl next door: and no matter how much she lays it on with a trowel, she never will be.’
So I think you’re using a larger tarbrush on me here than I deserve. But whatever.

On another topic, see below a post on Friends Reunited this week, on a thread of photos of a 1940s dogfight over Big Ben :

“Germany was justified re-possessing it’s own territory stolen from Germany and given to Poland. Thereafter, it was Britain who declared war on Germany (NOT VICE-VERSA). No Allied war criminals were prosecuted for carpet bombing Dresden and other civillian targets. History books never mention pregnant German ladies crucified (nailed to church doors) by red Soviet savage allies. Those worried about a German invasion, turned a blind eye to the subsequent Third world invasion of Britain.
26th Apr 2013″

Is it possible to give some more info on this post in your blog John? It seems to me there is a theme of disgruntled young german people posting in various places.

@LondonGirl Ive seen any number of holocaust deniers show up on Youtube in the past few years mostly from young folk..some brits some a lot from USA too..problem is their arguments are dumb and ironic..

bobchewie – it’s the dumbness that frightens the goonies out of me! I am constantly utterly dumbstruck at just how ill educated and stupid a lot of people are. Except that of course, it suits governments to have an ill educated population as they are much good at fighting for democracy (sorry; poor precis of my thoughts but you get the idea….)

Rudy Guede had lots of “boy lovers” on his YouTube friends account. Why was nothing in the press about that? In fact, not a lot has been said about him in the media, all the focus has been on Amanda Knox. I think that is very convenient for some people.